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4/26 NJPW SAKURA GENESIS REPORT

4/6/24 Results from New Japan's SAKURA GENESIS 2024 From Ryogoku, Tokyo Japan:

Pre-show match   (Frontier Zone vs. New Japan):   Chicharito Shoki, Takuro Niki and Ayato Yoshida vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and Boltin Oleg

Oleg pins Shoki after a Fireman’s carry slam.

Yoshida looked impressive in this match.

1 - Ryusuke Taguchi and El Desperado vs. Kosei Fujita and Zack Sabre Jr.

Fujita pins Taguchi with an O’Conner Roll.  

Nice win for Fujita.   He might have a place in the Best of Super Junior coming next month.

2 - BUSHI and HIromu Takahashi vs. Gedo and David Finlay

The announcer said Finlay had an inner ear infection which caused dizziness and balance problems, which is why he was pulled from the New Japan Cup.

BUSHI hits a dropkick to Gedo’s leg.  BUSHI applies a modified figure four.   Gedo taps out.

3 - DOUKI, Yuya Uemura and SANADA vs. Callum Newman, Great O-Khan and Jeff Cobb

Uemura pins O-Khan with a surprise crucifix.   

O-Khan looked pissed off and surprised by the flash pin, and wanted a piece of Uemura.  Uemura sends O-Khan across the ring with a Deadbolt Suplex.   Uemura grabs the KOPW Belt and makes his challenge to Great O-Khan.

4 -  IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (Tornado Tag):   Kevin Knight and KUSHIDA vs.Francesco Akira and TJP vs. Drilla Moloney and Clark Conners

Wild match.  Conners hit a No Chaser on Knight and Moloney hit a Drilla Killa on KUSHIDA.   War Dogs finished KUSHIDA with a Full Clip.

Conners pins KUSHIDA 

War Dogs retain the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

KUSHIDA looked like he was dazed.   Knight and Moloney had legit words with each other.   Knight helped KUSHIDA to the back.   Moloney looked upset and left ringside while Conners celebrated the win by himself.

Jeff Cobb on commentary was pumping up TJP saying if he wants to lead United Empire then he has to lead by example and keep his head up.

5 - IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship:  YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Chase Owens and KENTA

KENTA defended his DEFY World Championship In Philadelphia on Thursday and just arrived to Ryogoku Sumo Hall just 30 minutes earlier.

Solid match.  Owens missed a C-Trigger on Goto.  Bishomon hits a Violent Flash on Owens.  They go for a Shoto but Owens fights out.  Owens with a Victory Roll on Goto.   Two count.   Owens hits Goto with a C-Trigger.   Two count.   Owens hits another C-Trigger and goes for a Package Piledriver.  YOSHI-HASHI breaks it up with a Headhunter.   YOSHI-HASHI and KENTA start hitting chops and strikes.     KENTA hits a loud strike that makes Jeff Cobb laugh with delight on commentary. 

Goto hits a lariat on KENTA.   Bishomon finally hits a Shoto on Owens.

Goto pins Owens.

Bishomon wins the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

They play a video to announce the wrestlers competing in the Best of the Super Junior 31.

They are:

1.  Ryusuke Taguchi 

2.  El Desperado 

3.  Kevin Knight

4.  YOH

5.  Hiromu Takahashi 

6.  BUSHI

7.  Titan

8.  TJP

9.  Francesco Akira

10.  DOUKI 

11.  Robbie Eagles

12.  Taiji Ishimori 

13.  Yoshinobu Kanemaru 

14.  SHO

15.  Clark Conners

16.  Drilla Moloney

17.  Kosei Fujita

18.  Blake Christian (ROH)

19.  Ninja Mack (NOAH)

20.  HAYATA  (NOAH)

6 -  IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship:  YOH vs. SHO

They come to the ring with SHO chasing YOH who is holding the Jr. Heavyweight Belt.  

YOH was favoring his left shoulder, perhaps dislocated.  YOH’s shoulder bone looked to be out of place.  Jeff Cobb said it does not look good.

The referee stopped the match and declared SHO the winner.   

SHO was in full heel mode berating YOH as a bunch of doctors and officials rushed to ringside.   They were trying to pop YOH’s shoulder into place.   They took YOH back to the locker room.  YOH was in tears as he left ringside, not in pain, but because he could not give the fans what they paid to see.

Kosei Fujita comes to the ring.   DOUKI also comes to the ring.   Both men lay claim to winning BOSJ 31.  Fujita dropkicks SHO and poses with the belt.  DOUKI takes the belt and tells SHO to beat him in the BOS 31 to get it back

7 - Shota Umino and Jon Moxley vs. Jack Perry and Ren Narita

This was a brawl from the start.  Narita tired to use his push up board but Moxley avoids it , but Umino takes a board in the face.   Narita tries for Double Cross but Moxley reverses into a Death Rider.

Moxley pins Narita.

Jack Perry looked good in the match.  His timing was good and in sync with Narita.   He fits well with House of Torture.

8 - NEVER Openweight Championship:  Shingo Takagi vs. EVIL

Yoshinobu Kanemaru comes to the ring with a referee uniform.   The real referee removes Dick Togo and Kanemaru from the ringside area.

Both men begin brawling.   They battle to the floor and hit each other with chairs.   Back in the ring, they batter each other.  Takagi hits a top rope superplex.  Yujiro Takahashi comes to ringside.   He unties the turnbuckle pad.  EVIL throws Takagi into the unprotected steel in the buckle.   EVIL hits Darkness Falls.   Two count.   They trade lariats.  Yujiro hits Takagi with a chair.   EVIL applies the Darkness Scorpion.   Rope break.   Someone in a BUSHI mask comes to the ring.  Referee is distracted.   Yujiro and EVIL double team Takagi but Takagi hits them with a lariat.   

The man in the BUSHI mask hits Takagi.  The real BUSHI comes to the ring and unmasks to reveal Dick Togo.  BUSHI goes to spray mist but Togo pulls the referee into the way and gets a face full of black mist.   Kanemaru comes to the ring in his referee shirt.   They beat down Takagi.    EVIL goes for a pin.  Kanemaru counts two and Takagi kicks out.   EVIL goes for another pin and Kanemaru counts faster but Takagi kicks out again.   Kanemaru hits Takagi with a high kick.    EVIL and Togo with a Magic Killer.  Kanemaru counts three.   Yujiro rings the bell.    Crowd is pissed but the match continues

Hiromu comes to the ring in a referee shirt and kicks Kanemaru and Togo to the floor.   EVIL goes for his finisher but Takagi avoids it they trade strikes.   Takagi hits Everything is Evil on EVIL.  Hiromu makes a two count and Kanemaru kicks him and then stomps on Takagi.   Kanemaru goes for the whiskey but Takagi punches him in the face.   Togo chokes Takagi with the wire.  BUSHI takes out 

Togo.   Takagi takes a shot of whiskey and sprays EVIL.   Yujiro throws powder and hits EVIL instead.  Hiromu superkicks Yujro.   Takagi hits a Pumping Bomber on EVIL.  

A new referee gets to the ring.  Takagi hits Last of the Dragon.

Takagi pins EVIL.

Shingo Takagi wins the NEVER Openweight Championship.   

War Dogs hit the ring and attack LIJ.   Gabe Kidd beats down Takagi.  

Kidd grabs the mic and cuts a promo on the crowd and New Japan.   He calls New Japan “an embarrassment”.  He references Jungle Boy Jack Perry and Hiroshi Tanahashi bowing down to Tony Khan.  He says he used to love this company and the lion mark.  He spat on the mat and at Tanahashi.  He say he will kill Tsuji and Naito and take everything from this company.    He says he will stab Tanahashi again.   He says he will start with Takagi and taking the NEVER Openweight Title.

At the WWE 2024 Hall of Fame, Paul Heyman spoke of the influence of ECW across all the world.   This was an attempt by Gabe Kidd at an ECW-style promo but was not even close. Kidd trying to indirectly reference the CM Punk interview and Jack Perry’s incident at the All In event in 2023 was poorly executed, out of place and made no sense.    It was cheap heat.

If the goal was to declare that Kidd is Takagi’s never challenger, then just state that.   Crapping on New Japan and Tanahashi is a bad idea.  New Japan should not be bringing up business from other companies, nor should they cater to the internet chatter and gossip.   Kidd should have focused on the NEVER Championship and not bother with anything else.  He has not come close to the World Title so he cannot speak about Naito or Tsuji yet.   If this is Kidd’s gimmick to be the “pipe bomb of New Japan”, either get better at it or drop it.    Better to drop it, while the Original is making big money on a global stage.  

9 -  IWGP World Heavyweight Championship:   Yota Tsuji vs. Tetsuya Naito

Match was even until it went to the floor.   Tsuji hits a tope suicida.   Tsuji works over Naito’s back.    Naito hiptossed Tsuji onto Naito’s knee.  Naito attacks Tsuji’s neck with neckbreakers and a full nelson.   Tsuji fights back with strikes and body attacks.   Tsuji with a curb stomp off the apron to the floor.

Naito is almost counted out.   Naito hits a swinging DDT.   Tsuji fights back with a Falcon Arrow.   Naito hits a running Destino.  He tries for another Destino but Tsuji reverses out and hits a Gene Blaster.   Both men too tired to make a cover.  They trade strikes.   Tsuji with a Boston Crab but Naito gets the ropes.  Tsuji hits a superplex and applies a Boston Crab.   Tsuji switches to a Lion Tamer.  Tsuji with a triple jump curb stomp then a version of Darkness Falls.    Two count.  

Naito flips Tsuji as he goes for a Gene Blaster.  Tsuji’s hits the turnbuckle neck first.  Naito hits a spear.   Two count.  Naito hits Valencia.   Naito hits a Destino.

Naito pins Tsuji.

Tetsuya Naito retains the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

Jon Moxley comes to the ring.  Moxley will meet Naito on April 12 in Chicago.    Naito asks him if he wants the Title.   Moxley says he will win the Title.   

Naito puts over Tsuji and his work.  He recites the LIJ roll call for the crowd.  Massive pop from the crowd.

Thank you for reading.

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